1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an integral connector clip holder and clamp, and, in particular, to an integral clamping holder for providing an improved mounting means and contact augmenting means for an electrical connector clip. Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide new and improved holders of such character.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Connector clips have typically been mounted within recesses and/or projections in molded plastic housings, such as used for electric circuit breakers. The features of the connector clip are, thus, accommodated and the clip is secured in its intended position. Connector clips held in such manner were frequently fitted with a high carbon spring steel clamp that provided additional contact connecting force. Disadvantageously, the size of the connector clip was dictated by the molded features of the housing that held it in place. When the housing was used to enclose devices that has a broad range of electrical ratings it was noted that a connector clip of the size that satisfied the upper electrical range was larger than that needed for the lower range.
3. Statement under 37 CFR 1.56
Pursuant to the duty of candor and good faith toward the Patent and Trademark Office that rests on the application to disclose to the Office information which may be material to the examination of the application, the following United States Patents are made of record:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. PATENTEE(S) ISSUE DATE ______________________________________ 2,681,396 Cole et al June 15, 1954 2,922,004 Miller et al Jan. 19, 1960 3,271,549 Gelzheiser Sept. 6, 1966 3,333,078 Gelzheiser et al July 25, 1967 3,383,486 Powell May 14, 1968 3,662,324 Schumacher May 9, 1972 3,904,998 Belttary Sept. 9, 1975 4,016,386 Gelzheiser et al Apr. 5, 1977 4,171,861 Hohorst Oct. 23, 1979 4,194,103 Smith Mar. 18, 1980 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 2,681,396 to Cole et al. relates to a circuit breaker with spring biased pivot for movable contact members. In one embodiment having a resilient pivot, a spring member is provided with a base portion having an upturned flange at one end and having reflexed spring arms at the other end. The base portion is slotted to facilitate straddling of a movable contact member and to engage a pivot pin. Movement of the movable contact member causes the pivot pin to move downwardly to flex or compress the companion spring arms from a relaxed condition to a compressed or tensioned position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,922,004 to Miller et al. relates to an electric circuit breaker including a plug-in type line terminal having a generally U-shaped contact jaw portion having the outer portions of its opposite sides bent inwardly to provide a resilient socket for cooperation with a contact blade. An extension of the terminal ends in two angularly disposed projections, each carrying a relatively stationary thereon. The contact jaws and the extension are positioned within a transversely extending recess in the breaker. The projections straddle a portion of the central waLL thereof and extend into other chambers. The terminal is retained in place in the chamber by the conforming recesses and abutments of the cooperating casing parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,271,549 to Gelzheiser relates to a circuit breaker with terminal means. Two separate line terminals are biased toward each other by means of a one-piece spring steel biasing and supporting member which is formed from a flat sheet metal blank that is folded to provide upper and lower parts. The upper part is folded to provide a flaring part. The lower part is bent along two lines to provide two staggered biasing parts on opposite sides of a slot. The member is a hardened and treated spring steel. The terminals are generally resilient conducting means. The biasing parts of the member engage outer sides of the contact parts of the terminals and bias the contact parts toward each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,078 to Gelzheiser et al. relates to a circuit breaker with plug-in type terminal structure. A line terminal comprises a sheet-metal type generally resilient flat member of conducting material having oppositely disposed large-surface-area flat face surfaces and small-surface-area end surface means between the faces. The member is U-shaped, having a short leg opposite a long leg connected by a bight. The terminal is formed with a slot which extends through the short leg and the bight, and downward a little more than half the length of the long leg. A projection, bent over from the long leg, forms a stop to position the terminal relative to a conducting stab. Two contacts, representing the stationary contacts of a double-type circuit breaker, are welded to one of the sides of the long leg.
When it is desired to mount the circuit breaker in a panelboard, the breaker is moved into position to connect the terminal with the conducting stab. During this movement, a connecting part of the stab moves between two facing end parts of the end surface means of the terminal. The dimension between the facing end parts is less than the thickness of the stab, so that as the terminal is forced onto the stab, the facing end surfaces are biased apart, spring charging the terminal member to provide contact pressure between the facing end surfaces and the opposite sides of the stab. The member is generally rigid with regard to forces applied in an endwise direction. As the member is forced onto the stab, the member flexes with a torsion or twisting action to provide a torsion-type or twisting-type spring bias of the facing end surfaces against the stab. This torsion action serves to provide effective contact pressure between the facing end surfaces and the conducting stab. When the terminal is moved into position on the stab, a projection on the member serves to position the member relative to the stab.
If it is desired to further increase the contact pressure between the facing end surfaces and the conducting stab, an additional spring member can be mounted on the terminal to provide an additional force biasing the facing end surfaces against the stab. The spring is a generally U-shaped member with the end parts thereof mounted in suitable openings in the bight part of the terminal.
It is noted that the Gelzheiser et al. device makes direct electrical contact with a bus bar stab, is required to be electrically conductive, has a circuit breaker contact welded thereto, and is not used for mounting a conductor clip, all in contradistinction to the instant invention disclosed and claimed hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,486 to Powell relates to an electrical circuit breaker with combined plug-in terminal and contact support. A socket is formed of an elongated strip of metal bent upon itself into a generally U-shaped configuration. The bend is at the free end of an inner arm portion which also carries a contact button affixed to its outer surface by brazing. The socket, and particularly its base portion, are dimensioned so that the socket fits snugly onto the enlarged free end of a shoulder with the inner arm portion and the outer arm portion extending along the opposite surfaces thereof.
The strip-like elements of the socket extend in parallel contact in the inner arm portion, base portion and through a distance of the outer arm portion adjacent the base portion in the channel between the shoulder and front wall. The strip-like elements then diverge adjacent the free ends thereof in a suitable configuration to provide deflectable fingers or jaws which define a contact blade receiving channel therebetween. The outer finger has a generally V-shaped configuration and the inner finger has a more complex configuration provided by two reverse bends so that it initially extends toward the shoulder to provide the desired spacing. Its outer bend, and the bend in the outer finger, are generally aligned to ensure a high degree of clamping pressure therebetween.
The clamping pressure of the fingers is enhanced by a spring having a generally U-shaped body portion extending along the sides of the fingers parallel thereto and opening toward the channel between the fingers. At the ends of the body portion are leg portions which extend normally thereto along the outer surfaces of the fingers at their aligned bends so as to bias them together.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,324 to Schumacher relates to a reinforced electrical contact. The contact includes a strip of metal of high conductivity and low spring properties. The strip has three contact fingers extending from a common base to provide two contact slots in T formation therebetween. Two fingers are parallel to the base of the T and on opposite sides thereof. A third finger is parallel to the cross member of the T and is disposed above the cross member. A spring reinforcing clip for the contact is generally U-shaped. One upright of the U embraces the cross finger of the contact and has its upper end bent inwardly to bear agaist the cross finger. The other upright is forked at its upper position. The upper end of the fork is bent inwardly to engage the other surface of the parallel fingers to add spring bias to resist the spread of the fingers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,998 to Belttary relates to a circuit breaker in which the fixed contact thereof is mounted on a clip which is designed to engage a line bus when the breaker is inserted into a distribution panel box.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,386 to Gelzheiser et al. relates to a circuit breaker line terminal. A terminal includes a plate having a doubled-back portion from which a flange extends. The portion is in surface contact with the adjacent surface of the plate to provide good electrical contact therebetween. The lower end of the flange includes an out-turned member. Stationary contacts are mounted on the side of the base plate opposite the flange. A spring clip, of spring steel, is mounted on the terminal and includes a first out-turned end portion on the side of the flange opposite a second out-turned portion. The lower leg portions of the clip engage opposite sides of the flange with the first out-turned end portion extending downwardly and outwardly to provide, in combination with the out-turned member, preshaped means for guiding the entrance of a stab between the flange and the clip, with the clip holding the flange in tight surface contact. The spring clip typically functions by way of a bending moment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,861 to Hohorst relates to an electrical distribution and connection device. A clamping spring has its clamping arm provided with a recess, a clamping edge being formed therewith. The spring is bent into U-shape, with a raised portion (such as a bead) provided on a securing arm. The clamping arm and the securing arm are at an acute angle to one another and are provided on a channel-like (V-shaped) spring web via rounded portions, the securing arm being made shorter than the clamping arm. A rectangular recess is hollowed out of the clamping arm, its lower edge forming the clamping edge. In essence, the U-shaped clip with a rectangular opening in one leg acts to provide a typical bending moment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,103 to Smith relates to electrical switch construction and method of making same. A contact portion of a conductive snap switch blade is adapted to be moved with a snap action between a pair of spaced contact stops. One contact stop is electrically connected to a terminal while the conductive switch blade has its other end electrically interconnected to another terminal means. The contact portion of the switch blade is adapted to electrically interconnect the terminal and the terminal means together when the contact portion has its contact snapped and held against the contact stop by an actuator means which comprises an axially movable actuator plunger and an actuator spring. The actuator spring is substantially V-shaped with an apex portion disposed between a pair of opposed ends. One end of the acuator spring is defined by a pair of spaced apart parallel legs that are interconnected by a narrow band of the actuator spring.
The narrow band of the actuator spring comprises a portion thereof that is disposed intermediate its opposed ends.
The legs of the actuator spring have concave surfaces which receive tongue edges of the switch blade that extend from its contact portion.
The other end of the actuator spring comprises a tongue having a pair of side notches formed therein to respectively receive tongue extensions of an inwardly directed tongue of the switch blade, whereby the actuator spring is placed under compression between the opposed ends thereof when the actuator spring is assembled between the tongues of the snap switch blade. The legs at the end of the actuator spring not only extend from the intermediate portion thereof to define the apex of the triangular shape of the actuator spring, but also the legs extend to the tonuge thereof that forms the other end, whereby an opening passes through the actuator spring.